Environmental Movements in India
NCERT Class 12 • Political Science • Chapter "Environment and Natural Resources" | NCERT Class 10 • Science • Chapter "Management of Natural Resources"
Environmental Movements in India
India's environmental movements did not begin in offices or laboratories. They began with communities whose land, forest and water were being taken for projects planned elsewhere, and their central argument has always been that those who bear the cost must have a say in the decision.
The Major Movements
- The Chipko movement began in the hills of Uttarakhand, where villagers, many of them women, hugged trees to stop commercial felling.
- Its demand was that local people, not distant contractors, should have the first right over forest resources.
- It succeeded in getting a ban on felling in sensitive Himalayan areas and inspired similar action elsewhere.
- The Appiko movement in Karnataka carried the same idea to the Western Ghats.
- The Silent Valley campaign in Kerala stopped a hydroelectric project in a rare tropical rainforest, which was later declared a national park.
- The Narmada Bachao Andolan raised the question of displacement and rehabilitation of people submerged by large dams.
- The Bishnoi tradition of Rajasthan is the oldest in this line, protecting trees and blackbuck on religious grounds for centuries.
What They Changed
- They established that development projects must account for the people they displace, not treat them as an incidental cost.
- They brought the idea of rehabilitation and resettlement into the planning process rather than leaving it to charity.
- They made public hearing and environmental impact assessment a requirement for large projects.
- They showed that women are often the first to act, because they bear the daily burden of fetching fuel, fodder and water.
- They demonstrated the power of non violent methods: sitting in, hugging trees, marching and going to court.
- They connected environment with livelihood, arguing that for the poor the environment is not a luxury but the source of their living.
- Their arguments now appear in law, in court judgments and in the standard procedure for clearing projects.
| Movement | Region | Central Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Chipko | Uttarakhand hills | Local right over forest, stop felling |
| Appiko | Karnataka, Western Ghats | Protect forest from commercial felling |
| Silent Valley | Kerala | Save rainforest from a dam project |
| Narmada Bachao Andolan | Narmada valley | Rehabilitation of displaced people |
Chipko movement — a movement in which villagers hugged trees to prevent their commercial felling and claimed local rights over forests.
Exam me kaise aata hai
- The Chipko movement began in — the hills of Uttarakhand
- The Silent Valley campaign was in which state — Kerala
- The Narmada Bachao Andolan raised the issue of — displacement and rehabilitation
- The Karnataka counterpart of Chipko was the — Appiko movement
UPSC/State PSC ke liye
- These movements changed the procedure of development, making impact assessment and public hearing standard rather than optional, which is a more lasting victory than stopping any single project.
- Women led many of them because the environmental burden falls on those who fetch water and fuel daily, which links gender directly to environmental policy.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ Chipko and Appiko happened in the same state | Chipko in Uttarakhand, Appiko in Karnataka | ✓
✗ These movements opposed all development | They demanded that those displaced be accounted for and heard | ✓
✗ Environmental movements are a recent idea in India | The Bishnoi tradition is centuries old | ✓
Ek nazar me
- Chipko, Appiko, Silent Valley and Narmada Bachao are the landmark movements.
- Their demand was a say for those who bear the cost of a project.
- Women led many of them because they carry the daily environmental burden.
- They made impact assessment, public hearing and rehabilitation part of standard procedure.